Liverpool played against Arsenal at Anfield on November 1st and lost 1-0. Kai Havertz took the lead in the 16th minute with Arsenal's short counter, and although Liverpool launched an overwhelming attack from then on, they were unable to score a decisive goal, resulting in their first home defeat in 14 years. After the defeat, Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola expressed his strong dissatisfaction with the referee's decision.
Iraora particularly focused on the scene that occurred in the 20th minute. Short from Arsenal's free-kick, Bradley Barcola supplied an in-swing and Sweden international Alexander Isak headed it towards goal, but the ball went just wide. At the moment when Isak was about to head the ball, Arsenal's Dutch defender Julien Timber pulled on Isak's shirt. The referee restarted play and Isaac continued to attack, but as the distance was only a short distance, it was ruled that there was no holding foul.
Iraora said, ``Isak couldn't head the ball because he was grabbed by his uniform. If he had fallen, a penalty penalty would have been called,'' Iraola said, adding some sarcasm to the referee's decision. He also emphasized the importance of diving, saying, ``Next time, I have to tell the players to fall to the ground.'' As for countermeasures, he answered, ``If you don't dive, no judgment will be made,'' and expressed his intention to issue similar instructions to Isaac.
At the press conference, a question was asked about the decision in the scene, and Iraola commented, ``Isak, who continued to play without falling down, is an honest player, but the referee will not call a foul.'' Although he understood the referee's point of view, he told the players that ``if they don't fall down, they won't get a foul,'' and suggested ways to deal with them in future games.
The defeat was a huge blow to Liverpool, but the manager has made his dissatisfaction with the decision public and is calling for transparency into the referee's decision-making process. In the next match, it will be interesting to see whether Iraola's diving instructions will actually have an impact on the match. Liverpool need to take this experience into consideration and review the quality of their play and their relationship with referees.